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Mossoff, Epstein in Teleforum on Patent System

Professor Adam Mossoff was a participant in a teleforum sponsored by the Intellectual Property Practice Group of the Federalist Society on October 17.

Featured with Mossoff was New York University School of Law Professor Richard A. Epstein. The two discussed the topic, "Patent Rights: A Spark or Hindrance for the Economy?" in a program that allowed participants to dial in via telephone.

With passage of the America Invents Act, some believed the dispute over patent rights would diminish; however, high profile patent infringement suits in the smartphone industry and new efforts to roll back patent rights held by "non-practicing entities (NPEs)" have intensified debate over intellectual property rights. The teleforum considered such questions as whether reduced patent rights would diminish U.S. competitiveness and depress innovation, whether NPEs should have fewer patent rights than those that manufacture their inventions, and whether innovation would suffer if patent protections were scaled back.